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 Tomar Accommodation
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Pousada Conde de Ourém
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Campo Real Golf Course
Bom Sucesso Golf Course
Praia Del Rey Golf Course
Royal Obidos Golf Course
West Cliffs Golf Course
Tomar Property
Estate Agents
Tomar Wines
Ribatejo
Tomar - History
This town was created and building began on the castle on the 1st
of March in 1160 by order of the first Grand Master of the
all-powerful Order of the Knights Templar in Portugal, Gualdim
Pais. The Order consisted of knights whose main purpose was
to help the Portuguese in defeating the occupying Moors. In
return for this service the knights received lands and political
powers that in the end became their eventual undoing as their
strength and wealth grew to become too much of a threat to the
Church. The Pope Clement V together with King Philip IV
of France in 1314 decided to act and suppressed the Order. The
Portuguese King Dom Dinis promptly reacted by creating a
new Order of Christ and this organization was given the assets
and power of the previous Knights Templar. The famous Portuguese
Prince "Henry the Navigator" was made the Governor of
this new Order in 1418 and liberally used their funds together
with their logo of a white cross to finance his exploration
voyages of the world. (Visit - Portugal History)
Tomar - Description
The Igreja da Santa Maria dos Olivais was considered
as the mother church of the Order of the Knights Templar in
Portugal and it is the resting place of many of the past
Masters. The most important secret ceremonies of this Order
took place in the "Charola", an octagonal chapel painted
and carved in the Byzantine style and is the heart of the 12th
Century Convento de Cristo much of which was built using
the stone from Roman ruins. Many of the frescos, statuary and
paintings decorating the "Charola" have been carefully
restored to their former splendour. The 12th Century Castle
attached to the Convento looks down upon the lively streets
and historic buildings of Tomar.
The 15th Century Igreja de São João Baptista contains
paintings that include a remarkable work, the “Last Supper”
painted by Gregório Lopes, painted during the 16th
Century. In this town is one of the oldest synagogues in
Portugal that was built between 1430 and 1460. Last used in
1497 it is now a small Jewish Museum in honour of Abraham
Zacuto who was a renowned astronomer and mathematician
who lived in the 15th Century. Also, beside the 15th Century
bridge Ponte Velha is the Capela da Santa Ira
built to celebrate the martyrdom of this 7th Century Saint.
This town has many other churches of interest, particularly
the 16th Century Nossa Senhora da Conceição. The
Museu dos Fósforos in the former cloisters of the
Igreja de São Francisco is possibly unique in that
it is devoted to matches exhibiting some 43.000 matchboxes
from 104 countries.
Tomar - Nearby Locations
To the west of Tomar is the holy shrine of Fatima
which attracts thousands of faithful pilgrims throughout the
year. To the northeast of Fátima
is the 15th Century impressive castled town of Ourém,
the resting place of the Dom Afonso Álvares Pereira. To
the east is the National Dam, Barragem do Castelo de Bode,
a sprawling lake with many islands lined by eucalyptus forests
and now well exploited by the tourist industry. Further to the
north is the pretty village Dornes. Another charming
village is that of Sardoel that lies slightly further to
the east. The inhabitants of this area were renowned in the
16th Century for their ability in visual arts, both as
competent painters and as folk dancers.
To the south of Tomar is the 13th Century fortress town
of Abrantes that served as a military headquarters for
opposing armies during the Peninsular War (1808-1814). These
is an interesting event that occurred during the invasion of
the French army. Napoleon had created General Junot
with the assumed illegal title of Duke of Abrantes. Junot
then ordered the habitants to provide within two days on the
threat of death, 12.000 pairs of boots for his army. Working
all hours and with the help of neighbouring towns they provided
some 4.000 which proved sufficient to escape the blade.
To the west of Abrantes is the small pretty town of
Constância and the birthplace of Portugal’s famous 16th
Century poet Luís Vaz de Camões. Close by is the
romantic 12th Century castle of Almourol that is noted
as never to have been successfully taken by any invading
armies. Standing on its tiny island in the middle of River
Tejo it abounds in fables and is reputed to be haunted
by a lovely Princess. Slightly further west is the 12th
Century fortress town of Torres Novas with its many
churches and its museum dedicated to its local artist
Carlos Reis (1863-1940). Outside this town is Villa
Cardíllo, the ruins of a important Roman villa that still
shows some attractive mosaics, baths, and the under-floor
central heating system. Also, close to the town is the
Neolithic caves Grutas das Lapas that have been
carved out of the rock.
To the south of Torres Novas is the quiet town of
Golegã which explodes every November with thousands of
horse lovers from many countries at its annual horse fair,
Feira Nacional de Cavalo. Not be overlooked in this
small town is the two museums, one devoted to the photographic
work of Carlos Relvas, and the other exhibiting the
work from the artist Martins Correia.
Tomar Photos
Tomar Religious Festival
· View from Tomar Castle
· Tomar Cathedral
· Tomar Roman Bridge
· Almourol Castle
· Tomar Village
· Village Street
· Tomar Street
· Tomar Castle
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Tomar Events |
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| Festa dos Tabuleiros |
Every four years |
| Town Holiday |
1st March |
| Festa da Aleluia |
Easter Sunday |
| Feira de Santa Iria |
20th October
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Costa Prata Towns
Alcobaça
· Aveiro
· Batalha
· Caldas da Rainha
· Coimbra
· Fátima
· Leiria
· Óbidos
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Useful Tomar Telephone Numbers
2300